The late Richard Sax, celebrated cookbook author and champion of home cooks the world over, inspired this flourless chocolate cake—a riff on his iconic chocolate cloud cake.
Recipe information
Yield
8 to 10 Servings
Ingredients
cake
½
¾
10
2
6
2
1
¾
topping
1
½
3
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Special Equipment:
Step 1
A 9”-diameter springform pan
Cake
Step 2
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly butter springform pan and dust with sugar, tapping out any excess.
Step 3
Combine chocolate, oil, and ½ cup butter in a large heatproof bowl. Set over a saucepan of simmering water and heat, stirring often, until melted. Remove bowl from saucepan.
Step 4
Separate 4 eggs, placing whites and yolks in separate medium bowls. Add cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, ¼ cup sugar, and remaining 2 eggs to bowl with yolks and whisk until mixture is smooth. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into chocolate mixture, blending well.
Step 5
Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until frothy. With mixer running, gradually beat in ½ cup sugar; beat until firm peaks form.
Step 6
Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture in 2 additions, folding just until incorporated between additions. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar.
Step 7
Bake until top is puffed and starting to crack and cake is pulling away from edge of pan, 35-45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan (cake will collapse in the center and crack further as it cools).
Step 8
DO AHEAD: Cake can be made 1 day ahead. Cover in pan and store airtight at room temperature.
Topping
Step 9
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream, mascarpone, and powdered sugar in a medium bowl until soft peaks form.
Step 10
Remove sides of springform pan from cake. Mound whipped cream mixture in center of cake.